Message registration checking system



May 24, 1938. c. w. KECKLER ET AL MESSAGE REGLSTRATION CHECKING SYSTEM Filed Maron 25, 195e Y /ao u :IT: T

ATTORNEY TCW KEC/(LE'R By .cosmv-sAc/fm V V K//6 Ehe@ Patented May 24, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFI-lcs MESSAGE REGISTRATION CHECKING I SYSTEM Application March 25, 1936, Serial No. 70,820

7 Claims.

This invention relates to telephone systems and more particularly to a circuit for checking the message registration circuits thereof.

In dial switching telephone areas in which telephone service is sold to subscribers on a metered basis each subscribers line is equipped at the central office with a message register which is operated to register each successfully completed call from the line. In certain areas the operation of the message register is also dependent upon the Zone of the exchange area into which a call is completed and upon the length of time the established connection is held for conversation. For example, if the exchange area is divided into six zones the message register would be operated from one to six times on each call for the initial period of conversation which might be three minutes, dependent upon the zone into which the call is completed and also operated again one or more times, dependent also on the zone, for each overtime period of conversation, for example of five minutes duration.

Circuits for controlling message registration on a zone and overtime basis might be of the character disclosed in Patent No. 1,837,296 granted December 22, 1931 to R. E. Collis. Such circuits are particularly designed to accurately control the message register of a calling subscribers line to obviate so far as possible false operations thereof which might result in overcharging the subscriber for telephone service. Subscribers at times, however, are not satised that they have been correctly billed for service and in order that complaints made by such subscribers may be answered to their satisfaction and to the satisfaction of the operating telephone company, the checking circuit forming the basis of this invention has been designed.

In accordance with the invention, for making a check on the operation of the central oice message register of the line of a subscriber who has entered such a complaint, a message register is temporarily installed at the subscribers substation which he may observe and is connected to the central office in which the line terminates over a spare line circuit in the cable extending to the immediate vicinity of the subscribers premises. A relay is also connected in parallel with the central oflice message register of the subscribers line which operates each time that the central office register operates to establish an operating circuit over one conductor of the spare line circuit for the message register at the subscribers substation. Thus each operation of the central office register results in an operation of the register at the subscribers substation. In order that a check may be made on the operation of the message register at the subscribers premises a circuit over the other conductor of the spare line circuit is closed on each operation thereof for operating a checking equipment at the central office. This equipment is provided with a checking meter which operates each time that the central office message register operates signal lamps and an alarm circuit for indicating if the substation message register fails to operate or operates falsely or if the checking meter in the checking equipment fails to operate when the subscribers central oflice and substation registers both operate.

For a clearer understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following detailed description thereof and the mode of its operation taken in connection with the drawing.

Since the invention is not primarily concerned with the manner in which a connection is extended from a calling subscribers line to a desired subscribers line, only so much of the switching equipment has been diagrammatically disclosed as is deemed necessary to illustrate the applicability of the present invention. For a complete disclosure of such switching equipment reference may be had to Patent No. 1,837,206 to Collis hereinbefore referred to. A subscribers substation equipment of the standard dial type, the central oice relay equipment of the sub- Scribers line and the brushes of a line-finder having access to the terminals of the line are disclosed in the upper portion of the drawing and the message register checking equipment is disclosed in the dot-dash rectangle in the lower portion of the drawing.

It will be assumed that the subscriber Whose substation is disclosed at |00 has entered a complaint that he is being overcharged for telephone service and that in response to such complaint the operating telephone company wishes to conduct a check of the service rendered such subscriber. For this purpose the relay l 0l is temporarily connected in parallel with the central office message register m2 allocated to the subscribers line and the contacts thereof are connected to the checking equipment |50. Also a message register 1&3 is temporarily installed at the subscribers premises which the subscriber may observe, the operating circuit oi which is connected to the check ing equipment over one conductor |04 of a spare line circuit extending to the subscribers premises and the armature contacts of which are connected to the checking equipment over the other Y conductor |05 of the spare line circuit. The circuits are now conditioned for checking the metering of service rendered to the complaining subscriber,

It Will now be assumed that the subscriber initiates a call by removing his receiver from the switch-hook resulting in the operation of line relay |06 and the starting of the line-iinder |01 to Search for the terminals of the calling line. When the line-finder finds the line the cut-off relay |08 is operated thereby releasing the line relay |06. As soon as the calling subscriber receives the usual dial tone he proceeds to operate his dial |50 in accordance with the digits of the directory number of the line with which he desires to obtain a connection and the connection is then completed to such desired line in the usual manner. It will be assumed that this line is located in a zone of the exchange which will require that the calling subscribers message register will be operated twice for the initial threel minutes of conversation and twice thereafter for each following ve minutes of conversation.

As soon as the called subscriber responds, thus indicating a successfully completed call, the calling subscribers message register |02 will be operated twice, to register two conversational unit charges, over a circuit extending from ground, winding of register |02, the back contact of line relay |06, brush |09 and terminal H0 of the linender |01 to battery. Since the winding of relay is connected through resistance Hl in par-V allel with the winding of message register |02', relay |0| will also operate and close its contacts twice. Upon each closure of its contacts obvious circuits are established through the windings of relays H2 and H3 in parallel to battery. Relay I |2 is quick to operate and release and relay H3 is slightly slow to release but both relays follow the operations and releases Yof relay |0I.

Upon the first operation of relay |2 a circuit is established from ground over its contacts, normal contacts of relay H4, right back contact of relay H5, Winding of relay H4, resistance H6 to battery and from ground over the contacts of relay H2, normal contacts of relay H4, winding of relay H1, resistance H8 to battery and, to insure that relay H11 will fully operate to close its locking contacts before relay H2 releases, a second operating ground is supplied to the operating circuit of relay H4 from the left front contact of relay H3. Relay H4 upon operating locks independently of relays H2 and H3 in a circuit from battery through resistance H5, winding of relay H4, right back contact of relay H5, right alternate contacts of relay H4 to ground at the left normal contacts of release key H0. Relay H1, however, does not operate at this time since its winding is shunted over a circuit from ground at the left front contact of relay H3, back contact and winding of relay I1, normal contacts of relay H4 to ground at the front contact of relay H3 or after relay H4 operates over the right alternate contacts thereof to ground at the left contacts of key H9.

When relay l Ill operates it closes over its outer right iront contact an obvious circuit for checking meter |20 and also closes Aa circuit extending from the central oilice source of 11G-volt positive potential through ballast lamp |2|,Yresistance |22, outer left'fron't contact of relay H4, spare line conductor |34 to ground through the message register |03 at the subscribers premises. Thus in response to the iirst operation of the subscribers central oflice message register |02 and relay I0| the subscribers substation message register |03 and the checking meter |20 should both 0D- erate. After the opening of the operating circuit of message register |02, relays |0| and H2 release but relay H3 being slow to release remains operated for a long enough interval to insure that the message register |03 has been operated.

If the message register |03 operates a circuit is closed thereby from ground over `conductor |05, left back contact of relay H5, winding of relay |23, through resistance |2^|l and ballast lamp |25 to the source of 11G-volt positive potential thus operating relay |23. When relay |23 operates and before relay H3 has time to release, a circuit is established from ground over the contacts of relay |23, outer right frontl contact of relay H3, winding of relay |26 to battery. Relay |26 operates locking over its outer left front contact to ground at the inner left contact of relay I4 and closing a circuit for operating relay I if the checking meter |20 has operated. This circuit extends from ground over the inner left front contact of relay H4, left contacts oi relay |26, contacts closed by the operation of meter |29, winding of relay H5 to battery. Relay H5 upon operating locks over its left front contact to ground at the inner left front contact of relay H4 and at its'back contacts opens the operating circuit of relay |23 and the locking circuit of relay I4 and these relays now release, relay H4 opening the operating circuits of meter |20 and message register |03. Since by this time relay i3 will have released relay Hc opens the locking circuits of relays H5 and |26 which also release.

On each subsequent operation of message register |02 the circuits function in the manner described whereby the message register |03 at the subscribers substation and the checking meter |20 operate each time that the subscribers central oiiice message register |02 operates.

Should the substation message register |03 fail to operate during the interval that relays H2 and H3 remain operated no operating circuit for relay |23 will be closed and therefore relays |26 and H5 Will not be operated and relay I4 will remain locked under the control of key H9. When thereafter relays H2 and H3 release the shunt around the Winding of relay H1 will be opened and relay H1 will thereupon operate in a circuit from battery through resistance H8, winding of relay H1, alternate contacts of relay H4 to ground at the left contacts of key H9. With relay H1 operated and relay |26 released a circuit is established from ground at the right contacts of relay H1, right back contact of relay |26, Winding of relay |21 to battery. Relay |21 operates and locks over its left front contact, to ground at the right contacts of release key H9 and at its right contacts closes the circuit of signal lamp |28 and a circuit to an alarm device |33. An attendant hearing the alarm device and noting lamp |28 lighted knows that the substation message register has failed to operate.

Should the substation message register |03 be operated falsely or its armature becomes grounded or should a cross occur between the conductors |04 and |05 of the spare line circuit, relay |23 will be operated and with relay H3 unoperated a circuit Will be established from ground over the contacts of relay |23, back contacts of relay H3, Winding of relay |29 to battery. Relay |29 will operate, lock over its left front contact to ground at the right contacts of key H9, close the circuit of alarm device |33 and 'while the message registers |02 and |03 are both operated and relays ||2, ||3, and ||4 are operated relay |23 will operate as before described, upon the operation of the substation message register 03, and will in turn cause relay |26 to operate and lock until the control of relay H4. Relay will not operate, however, since its circuit is dependent on the operation of meter |20 and, meter |20 has failed to operate. Since relay ||5 does not operate relay ||4 remains locked up under the control of key ||9 and when relays l2 and ||3 have both released following the operation of message register |02 the shunt will be removed from the winding of relay and relay will operate. A circuit is now established from ground over the right contacts of relay ||1, right front contacts of relay |26, winding of relay |3| to battery. Relay |3| operates, locks over its left front contact to ground at the right contacts of key ||9 and closes the circuit of alarm device |33 and the circuit of lamp |32. The lighting of lamp |32 indicates to the attendant that the checking meter 20 has failed to operate.

The attendant may cause the restoration of operated relays in the checking circuit by operating the release kel,7 I9, the release of an operated alarm relay |2|, |29 or |3| extinguishing the signal lamp controlled thereby and stilling the alarm device |33.

Atthe end of an observation period the three message registers |02, |03, and |20 should have registered the same number of conversational units. The subscriber may therefore check the number of units for which he is billed against the number or units registered by the register at his substation and the checking attendant may check the reading of the checking meter 20 with the readings of the register |02. The signal devices aiord means for detecting any unstandard conditions existing at the substation message register or control line circuit extending to the subscribers premises, caused either accidentally or by the subscriber, which Would cause a discrepancy between the readings of the substation register |03 and the central oiiice register |02.

What is claimed is:

l. In a telephone system, a subscribers line, a call registering device for said line at the central oiiice, means at the central oflice for operating said registering device and a checking circuit comprising a registering device located at the substation of said line and a checking meter at the central office both operable in response to the operation of said rst registering device.

2. In a telephone system, a subscribers line, a call registering device for said line at the central oice, a call registering device for said line at the subscribers station, means at the central ofce for operating said rst registering device, means controlled in the operation of said iirst registering device to operate said second registering device, means at said central oflice responsive to the operation of said second registering device and a signal operable if said means fail to respond to indicate an operating failure of said second registering device.

3. In a telephone system, a subscribers line, a call registering device forsaid line at the central Office, a call registering device for said lin-eat the subscribers station, means at the central omce for operating said rst registering device, means controlled in the operation c1" said first registering device to operate' said second registering device, a relay at said central oiice responsive to the operation of said second registering device and a signal operated thereby if said second registering device has operated while said first registering device is unoperated to indicate a false operation of said second registering device.

4. In a telephone system, a subscribers line, a call registering device for said line at the central oice, means at the central ofce for operating said registering device,` a call registering device for said line at the subscribers station, a twoconductor control circuit extending from the central olice thereto, means controlled in the operation of said first registering device to operate said second registering device over one of said conductors, a relay at said central oflice operable over the other of said conductors and a signal operable in response to said relay if an unstandard condition exists at said second registering device or on the control circuit extending thereto.

5. In a telephone system, a subscribers line, a call registering device for said line at the central office, a call registering device for said line at the subscribers station, a checking meter at the central oilice, means at the central officel for operating said first registering device and means controlled in the operation of said rst registering device to operate said second registering device and said checking meter.

6. In a telephone system, a subscribers line, a call registering device for said line at the central oiiice, a call registering device for said line at the subscribers station, a checking meter at the central office, means at the central oiice for operating said iirst registering device, means controlled in the operation of said first registering device to operate said second registering device and said checking meter, signaling means and means for operating said signaling means if at the time said rst and second registering devices operate said checking meter fails to operate.

7. In a telephone system, a subscribers line, a call registering device for said line at the central office, means at the central oice for operating said registering device and a checking circuit comprising a registering device located at the substation of said line, a checking meter at the central office both operable in response to the operation of said first registering device, and signals for indicating if said substation registering device fails to operate or operates falsely or if said checking meter fails to operate.

CHARLES W. KECKLER. IRVING C. OSTEN-SACKEN. 

